Name: Meriam Shanti
From: La Palma, California
Votes: 0
Driver´s
education is a crucial tool in reducing death by vehicle, especially
in teens. Quick research will reveal that simply put, teens who put
in the work and receive driverś ed will be given less tickets, less
convictions based on crashes, and more importantly, less driving
related injury. Of course, the importance of instinct and alertness
is not lost on me, but driverś ed can only work to sharpen that
instinct needed that could mean the difference between life and
death.
Technology
is an issue that needs to be addressed in order to reduce
driving-related deaths. That same energy being put into ads that
denounce drinking and driving should be dedicated to condemning the
use of phones behind the wheel. This is not to reduce the value of
¨Don´t Drink and Drive!¨ sentiments, but rather, to bring to light
the importance of advocating for both staying sober and tech-free
while driving. There has been a decline in reported drunk driving
incidents, and with similar effort, that decline can be reflected in
technology use while driving.
Unfortunately,
I have personally experienced the consequences of irresponsible
driving. Back in 2011, while at a red light, a car behind us rammed
into the back of our car. My mom got out of the ordeal virtually
scathe-free, but due to a faulty airbag, I ended up with a face
without skin, the prospect of surgery and potential blindness, and an
underlying fear of the passenger seat. Fortunately, I have since
recovered, but the incident left me with an awareness about safe
driving you can only receive as a victim of the opposite. With
respect to family, safe driving isn’t necessarily a priority, and
more often than not they will do minor yet negligible things behind
the wheel. It does seem that the conversation around safe driving has
gotten loud enough that many drivers around me are taking more
precautions, which only speaks to how necessary it is to continue
having such discussions.
To
increase the number of safe drivers on the road, we need to increase
the fear around unsafe driving. In some cases, learning by fear is
counterproductive, but here, it is the only way the message will
linger. In the same way that Truth ads have scared people out of
smoking, ads that show the horrors around car accidents will scare
people out of irresponsible driving. It may be grotesque and
unpleasant to watch ads depicting the reality behind car accidents,
but if one person decides to pay more attention as a result, the
benefit will have outweighed the cost. I think that driving has
become something so customary that we almost forget what it really
means to be speeding down a freeway in a 4,000 pound metal box. We
would be doing our youth a disservice if we chose easily digestible
safe driving ads over one that may make you uncomfortable. That
uncomfort can be channeled into correction of behavior, the only
thing that will lead to accident prevention.
